OK but not great. I had the catfish and fries. Fish was a bit dry. Service was above average. I went at lunch time but there was no lunch menu so it was a bit more expensive than I expected. Worth a try to see how your experience is.
JOSEPH jacobs
I'm from San Diego so most restaurants don't have fried catfish. I came to this location when visiting family. I got fried catfish, hush puppies, and fried oysters. My side was red beans and rice. Was pretty good and the price was good. Friendly staff and I would definitely come back
Randy W.
Catfish was great. Oysters were awful. Overcooked and breading was bad. Had a strange taste and you couldn't taste the oyster. Just use plain cornmeal with light salt and lightly brown them, not overcook them. $17 wasted, should have gotten the fried jumbo shrimp. Server should turn back to the cook these overcooked oysters and not lose future business.
Haru R.
Everything was great except why is this the size of a side salad? They put a side salad in a ranch cup... it's smaller than the ranch packet itself..
Carmen M.
Gumbo and red beans & rice were great. Fried fish and shrimp was tough, overcooked. For the price and quality we will go to Kendall's for fish.
Jeff White
Friendly environment with great food. And priced very affordable!
RedOnions
When I first heard about Sam’s Southern Eatery, the first thing I did was look up the reviews. Most customers rated it five stars on two major sites. Since I am still looking for a decent place to eat in Norman, I decided to give Sam’s a try. It’s mostly a seafood place, with a few meat dishes thrown in. Otherwise, they serve fried and grilled catfish, tilapia, shrimp, oysters, gumbo, and po’boys, plus all the sides one would expect in a seafood restaurant--fried okra, fried mushrooms, fried green tomatoes, red beans, rice, coleslaw, and a couple of different fried cheese appetizers. First impressions: clean place, interesting decor. It was early afternoon, so it was past the lunch hour and it wasn’t crowded. Service was top-notch, a terrific waitress who was attentive and friendly. No problems at all with anybody in front or behind the counter. They could not have been nicer. Now, for the food. I ordered the 3 fish, 3 oyster basket with coleslaw and green beans. I’d read so much about the huge helpings, I figured I could take what I didn’t eat home. Well, no. The food was hot (except for the coleslaw) but there was not an enormous amount of anything, and for the price I expected more than I got. You can order your seafood fried or grilled. You pay $1.00 if they grill it, so I ordered fried. I should have paid the extra dollar. The heavy breading on both the fish and oysters was hard and an ugly shade of brown—a sure sign these came out of a freezer. The fish was served with a plop of what tasted like Miracle Whip on the side. I was really looking forward to the oysters. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. They came with some weird pink tartar sauce—no tang, no texture—like nothing I’ve ever encountered. I’ve eaten fried oysters on both coasts. If anybody actually believes this is how fresh fried oysters and tartar sauce should taste, they need to do some traveling to a real seafood restaurant by the sea, not in land-locked Oklahoma. (Yes, I should have known better.) And the two hushpuppies that came with the meal—well, there’s a reason why they’re called hushpuppies, but I doubt even a dog would eat these. The food was barely edible. That’s the best I can say about it. It was not good. My waitress deserved the generous tip I left for her, and the staff is obviously doing everything possible to make this place attractive, but I won’t be going back.
Bryan Bos
The food is awesome I just wish they would serve a less expensive smaller portion for lunch
Jay
I ordered the Fish Po’Boy. The fries and the Po’Boy itself were all very good. Enough food to leave me stuffed!
Alicia Renee
Chicken Philly was good and fries were hot. Friendly waitstaff.
Everything was amazing. Great portions and the prices were reasonable. Will definitely be ordering again.
thomas Harryson
Great food, great service. The staffs is friendly and can answer any question you have about the menu. The store is clean, and very kid friendly.
Janet Gieseke
Friendly people and kind enough to serve great food to weary travelers at closing time on Christmas Eve!! Thank you and bless you for your kindness!! The grilled shrimp was wonderful!!! I liked the green beans too, not the instant mashed potatoes so much. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Joseph Girouard
Excellent jumbo shrimp! I wish they had a better fish selection. Tilapia and catfish is about it.
Cynthia Brock
This place is awesome! The staff is always friendly and the food is great!
OK but not great. I had the catfish and fries. Fish was a bit dry. Service was above average. I went at lunch time but there was no lunch menu so it was a bit more expensive than I expected. Worth a try to see how your experience is.
I'm from San Diego so most restaurants don't have fried catfish. I came to this location when visiting family. I got fried catfish, hush puppies, and fried oysters. My side was red beans and rice. Was pretty good and the price was good. Friendly staff and I would definitely come back
Catfish was great. Oysters were awful. Overcooked and breading was bad. Had a strange taste and you couldn't taste the oyster. Just use plain cornmeal with light salt and lightly brown them, not overcook them. $17 wasted, should have gotten the fried jumbo shrimp. Server should turn back to the cook these overcooked oysters and not lose future business.
Everything was great except why is this the size of a side salad? They put a side salad in a ranch cup... it's smaller than the ranch packet itself..
Gumbo and red beans & rice were great. Fried fish and shrimp was tough, overcooked. For the price and quality we will go to Kendall's for fish.
Friendly environment with great food. And priced very affordable!
When I first heard about Sam’s Southern Eatery, the first thing I did was look up the reviews. Most customers rated it five stars on two major sites. Since I am still looking for a decent place to eat in Norman, I decided to give Sam’s a try. It’s mostly a seafood place, with a few meat dishes thrown in. Otherwise, they serve fried and grilled catfish, tilapia, shrimp, oysters, gumbo, and po’boys, plus all the sides one would expect in a seafood restaurant--fried okra, fried mushrooms, fried green tomatoes, red beans, rice, coleslaw, and a couple of different fried cheese appetizers. First impressions: clean place, interesting decor. It was early afternoon, so it was past the lunch hour and it wasn’t crowded. Service was top-notch, a terrific waitress who was attentive and friendly. No problems at all with anybody in front or behind the counter. They could not have been nicer. Now, for the food. I ordered the 3 fish, 3 oyster basket with coleslaw and green beans. I’d read so much about the huge helpings, I figured I could take what I didn’t eat home. Well, no. The food was hot (except for the coleslaw) but there was not an enormous amount of anything, and for the price I expected more than I got. You can order your seafood fried or grilled. You pay $1.00 if they grill it, so I ordered fried. I should have paid the extra dollar. The heavy breading on both the fish and oysters was hard and an ugly shade of brown—a sure sign these came out of a freezer. The fish was served with a plop of what tasted like Miracle Whip on the side. I was really looking forward to the oysters. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. They came with some weird pink tartar sauce—no tang, no texture—like nothing I’ve ever encountered. I’ve eaten fried oysters on both coasts. If anybody actually believes this is how fresh fried oysters and tartar sauce should taste, they need to do some traveling to a real seafood restaurant by the sea, not in land-locked Oklahoma. (Yes, I should have known better.) And the two hushpuppies that came with the meal—well, there’s a reason why they’re called hushpuppies, but I doubt even a dog would eat these. The food was barely edible. That’s the best I can say about it. It was not good. My waitress deserved the generous tip I left for her, and the staff is obviously doing everything possible to make this place attractive, but I won’t be going back.
The food is awesome I just wish they would serve a less expensive smaller portion for lunch
I ordered the Fish Po’Boy. The fries and the Po’Boy itself were all very good. Enough food to leave me stuffed!
Chicken Philly was good and fries were hot. Friendly waitstaff.
Restaurantji Recommends
Everything was amazing. Great portions and the prices were reasonable. Will definitely be ordering again.
Great food, great service. The staffs is friendly and can answer any question you have about the menu. The store is clean, and very kid friendly.
Friendly people and kind enough to serve great food to weary travelers at closing time on Christmas Eve!! Thank you and bless you for your kindness!! The grilled shrimp was wonderful!!! I liked the green beans too, not the instant mashed potatoes so much. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Excellent jumbo shrimp! I wish they had a better fish selection. Tilapia and catfish is about it.
This place is awesome! The staff is always friendly and the food is great!